While the 777-9X is meant to be the competitor to the Airbus A350-1000, the 777-8X would be the king of distance with a range of 9,500 nautical miles.

The 777-8X would be the successor to Boeing’s current winner of distance, the 777-200LR.

While long-distance jets are considered a niche (mainly due to the fact that the first few hours of long flights are spent burning fuel to carry even more fuel needed for the remainder of the flight), Boeing plans to offer the plane as an option for long trips from places like the Middle East to South America.

Sales of long-distance jets haven’t been too impressive. For instance, Boeing has only sold 59 777-200LRs since its debut in 2007. However, it has sold 687 short-range 777-300ER planes.

Because of this, Boeing expects to sell more 777-9X jets than 777-8Xs, but the two could go hand-in-hand as the 777-9X’s extra powerful engines and larger wings could give airlines more efficient use of the 777-8X.

The main model of the 777-9X is expected to be in service toward the end of the decade. There’s no word on when the 777-8X will be available.

The A350 900R is also just a design proposal thus far, and has not been scheduled for production yet nor is Airbus currently offering it for sale. The 777-8X is being offered for sale at this time. The A350 900R will take the long-range title if/when it moves beyond the design proposal stage.